


Dancing Bears, Painted Wings

by Anne_Marie_Writes



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Inspired by Anastasia (1997), There is violence but not graphic but if you want me to add a warning let me know
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-09
Updated: 2018-03-15
Packaged: 2019-03-29 04:21:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13919268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anne_Marie_Writes/pseuds/Anne_Marie_Writes
Summary: In 1926 St. Petersburg the rumor that the Grand Duchess Anastasia may have survived the siege of the Palace ten years earlier has got everybody talking.  A conman by the name of Levi Ackerman has hatched a plan to train a girl to pose as Anastasia and collect the ten thousand rubles her Grandmother has offered as a reward to anyone who finds the missing Princess.  Perhaps if he does this he will finally be able to put to bed the regrets he has carried in his heart about his own actions on that fateful day.As for Petra, a girl with no family, no home and no memory, all she wants is to find a way to Paris and discover who she really is.  After all, its not like she could be a missing Princess, is it?





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter One – The Music Box

**Saint Petersburg – 1916**

There really was nothing quite as spectacular as the Winter Palace in St Petersburg.  The snow fell thick and fast outside but in the grand ball room the air sparkled.  The youngest princess Anastasia Nikolayevna Romanov danced with glee, as carefree as an eleven year old princess was expected to be. The only dark cloud on her horizon was the imminent departure of her beloved Grandmamma who would be returning to Paris shortly as she did every spring.  The blow had been lessened for the princess by a parting gift the Dowager Empress had presented her with earlier that day.  Even now as she swirled and danced around the dance floor Anastasia’s mind went to the beautiful music box that was waiting for her in her bedroom, to sing her to sleep when her Grandmamma would not be able to.  Round her neck was the key, a beautiful necklace engraved ‘Together in Paris’.

 

“Ana, come, it is time for little princesses to go to bed,” her father called fondly to her as the music stopped.

 

“Oh but Papa I love to dance. Please let me stay up for one more song.”

 

“No my love, there will be many more evenings of dancing, but now it is time to sleep.”

 

Anastasia reluctantly listened to her father and after kissing him and her mother goodnight she followed her governess out of the ballroom.

 

She should have gone straight to sleep once she reached her room but she was too enamoured with her music box.  She pulled her covers up over her head so that her governess would not be able to hear and wound up her music box.  Again and again she listened to the tune and sang softly under her breath.

 

_“Far away, across the sea, hear this song and remember,_

_Soon you’ll be, home with me,_

_Once upon a December.”_

She was so engrossed with the song that she did not become immediately aware of the commotion that was sounding in the ballroom below. It was the sudden burst of gunshots in the distance that first alerted her that something was wrong.  She sat bolt upright in bed and strained her ears to hear more.  The sounds of distant music from the ball room had ceased, she heard the muffled sounds of angry shouting followed by more gun shots and then screaming.

 

She jumped out of bed and stuffed her feet into her slippers.  She grabbed her dressing gown from the end of her bed and tied it around her nightdress.  As an afterthought she snatched up the music box and shoved it into her pocket.

 

The door to her room slammed open and Anastasia screamed.

 

“Hush child, it is only me,’ said the familiar voice of Natalya her governess. “Come quickly.”

 

“What has happened?” The princess asked her sense of panic rising at the sight of Natalya’s pale face and pinched expression.

 

“The Palace is under siege, we need to leave now, come as quietly as you can.”

 

It was eerie, tiptoeing through the corridors whilst the sounds of catastrophe emanated from every other part of the palace, of her home.  They had almost reached the door that lead to the servants exit when they heard footsteps and men’s voices almost upon them.

 

“Quickly princess,’ Natalya whispered opening the door and shoving through so quickly that the music box fell out of Anastasias pocket.

 

She crouched down and placed her head on her knees silently repeating the prayers she had learned in Sunday school.  She heard the men confronting her governess.

 

“The children are long gone.” She heard Natalya say in a loud voice.  “The king knew you were coming and sent them away, you will never find them.

 

Another voice laughed harshly and then replied, “Foolish woman, we have already found them and put a bullet through each and every one of their heads.”

 

Anastasia’s gasp was masked by Natalya’s shocked cry.

 

“The only one we haven’t accounted for is the princess Anastasia, so why don’t you tell us where she is and we’ll spare your life.”

 

Anastasia’s head was reeling, silent tears poured down her face and fear gripped her as she waited for Natalya to betray her, open the door and reveal her hiding place. A few moments passed, although it felt more like a lifetime before she heard her governess soft reply.

 

“Never! Long live the Roma-“

 

The sound of a bullet rang out cutting off her final words.  Anastasia rocked backwards and forwards in the dark, silent sobs shaking her body.  She was too horrified to really process the sounds of the murderous men ransacking her bedroom searching for her.  She just sat in the dark rocking, unable to process any thoughts except that this couldn’t really be happening.

 

She didn’t know how long she had been sitting there before the cold dread became a numb horror and it suddenly occurred to her that it had gone completely silent outside. Slowly, as if driven by some unknown force she got to her feet and began to climb down the stairs. Her hand reached reflexively into her pocket, searching for comfort in the gift from her Grandmamma.  It seemed strange that even with her world turned upside down she felt struck with fear anew when she realised it wasn’t there. Her hands shook, everything was gone, her family was dead, her home was overrun by men intent on killing her, and the whole county could be out for her blood.  She needed her music box.  It was all she had left. She turned on her heel and darted back up the stairs.

She waited a moment, listening for any sound of movement outside, once she was certain that the coast was clear she carefully opened the door, her eyes scanning the dark and deserted corridor.  She spotted the music box a few steps from where she stood.  She intended to dart out and grab it quickly before continuing with her escape but was stopped when she felt something squelch under her slippers, she looked down and found herself frozen with horror all over again when she realised that the carpet was covered with the blood of the Natalya her loyal governess who had given up her life to protecting her young charge.  This final blow was too much for the Anastasia, a straggled cry tore from her throat before she thought to stop herself.  To her horror, she was not as alone as she had first thought. At the sound of her tears a man came rushing out of one of the bedrooms.

“Well, well,’ he said, a horrible sneer appearing on his face as raised a pistol to the sobbing princess.  “Look what we have here.”

She should have run or cried or begged for her life, but she was frozen to the spot unable to move. She closed her eyes tight and waited for the inevitable, but it didn’t come. Instead the sound of footsteps came tearing up the hallway followed by a grunt and a soft thud.  Anastasia dared to open her eyes and found she was no longer looking at her assailant but into a pair of grey eyes on a boy not much older than herself. He wore the grey uniform that denoted him as a cadet in training to become a royal body guard.

“What are you doing here?” He asked in a sharp tone, and for a horrible second Anastasia wondered if perhaps he had turned and taken sides with the rebels.  He walked towards her, and placed his hands on her shoulders turning her around and pushing her quickly back towards the stairway she had recently excited.

“It’s not safe for you here, we are overrun and I have to go and help my friends.  Just follow the stairs and run, don’t stop, don’t look back just run if you want to survive.”

 

 

So she did, she ran, she ran down the servants stairway, she ran out into the cold Russian night, sloshing through the snow in her slippers and nightgown, she ran till her feet turned numb and then she ran some more.  She didn’t stop, she didn’t look back, she ran until her world turned black.

 

 

 

 

****


	2. A Rumor in St. Petersburg

Chapter Two - A Rumour in St. Petersburg

**St. Petersburg 1926**

“Three hundred rubles for the hire of a theatre, that’s more than a day’s wages.”

 

“You don’t like the price? Then don’t hire the theatre.”  Aleksei Sokolov a stout middle aged man turned his back on his young companion and started to walk away.

 

“No, no, it’s not that,’ the younger man darted forward.  “It’s just that last week you said it was only going to be one hundred rubles.”

 

“Yesterday I didn’t know that you were planning to use if for nefarious purposes,” Aleksei sniggered.

 

“Nefarious!’ cried the young man with a mock attempt at effrontery that the wily old business man saw straight through.

 

“Young man-“

 

“Call me Farlan, please.”

 

“I know your name, and your business associate Levi.”

 

“You do.” Farlan replied in slightly weak voice.

 

“And if I were you,” the Aleksei  continued. “I would be a little more subtle in your advertising if you are going to be doing something as dangerous as finding someone to play the Grand Duchess Anastasia.”

 

“I don’t know what you mean.” Farlan folded his arms across his chest and tried his best to look nonchalant.

 

Aleksei sighed and stuffed his gloved fingers into the pocket of his long grey coat and pulled out a very crumpled looking flyer that Farlan recognised all too easily.

 

“Could you star in our latest production,” Aleksie read aloud, pausing momentarily to send a withering glance at his blonde companion.  “We will be holding auditions for the lead star in our latest show.  You must be aged between 19-22, strawberry blond hair and brown eyes.  A good knowledge of the royal family is useful but not required- need I continue.”

 

 “The role we are trying to fill is very specific, and she would be the lead of the play it is our right to be particular.”

 

“You and your friend are going to get yourself killed.” The old man laughed.  “You’ll be making enemies in Paris and St Petersburg if you’re not careful.  The Bolsheviks are keen to quash these rumours that they left a Romanov alive and you are seeking to fuel them.

 

“And if they’re not rumour?”

 

“Then you’ll be in even more trouble, as the Bolsheviks will be keen to finish the job they started.”

 

“Well then, it’s a good job that we aren’t trying to find a Grand Duchess, just a simple actress for our show.”

 

“-and,’ Aleksei continued, ignoring the blatant lie. “What of the Dowager Empress, do you think she will be happy to hear of a fake duchess?”

 

Farlan hadn’t got as far in the life of a conman as he had without knowing when it was time to quit.  He took the hat he had been holding in his hands and placed it onto his head.  “You don’t go around offering ten thousand rubles for anyone who can find your granddaughter without expecting a few fakes.  However, since I and my friend were simply looking for a girl to star in our show, it’s not something we need to worry about.  Good day to you Mr Sokolov, it seems I won’t be requiring the use of your theatre after all.”

 

Farlan made his way out of the building ignoring the cries of the old Aleksei who had regretted his greed the moment he realised that Farlan was really turning down the use of his theatre altogether.  As he reached the outside the bitter winter air hit his face and caused him to gasp and pull his scarf up over his mouth to shield himself from the cold.  As he walked down the gloomy street one thought alone was in his mind.

 

_Levi was going to be disappointed._

XXX

 

In a small apartment at the top of a large building Levi Ackerman sat staring at the music box he had picked up on the fateful day the palace was raided ten years ago.  He had picked it up at the time to remind himself of a vow he had made that day, to move forwards with no regrets.  It reminded him of the decisions he had made and the consequences that there had been for him, and others.  He closed his eyes tight.  Now was not the time for such thoughts.  He picked up the music box and put it in the top draw of the desk he was sitting at and locked it.  That music box would be the clincher, the proof that whatever girl they would find was Anastasia.  At least for long enough that he could get the reward money and fulfil the promise he had made to his friends all those years ago.  Isabel he had let down in the worst possible way, but Farlan, he could still help.

 

_Moving forward._ He thought to himself.  _No regrets._

Sometime later Levi sat meticulously copying out an Exit Visa for on his ‘ _clients’,_ carefully ensuring that the blue ink was perfectly neat, the slightest mistake would give away the fact that it was a forgery.  He looked up from his work when he heard Farlan entering the room.   The outside cold seemed to enter with him despite the fact that he would have been indoors some five minutes, climbing the stairs up to their room on the sixth floor of what was once a great town house.  Or perhaps it was the look of dejection on his face that made the air seem to chill.

 

“What is it?” Levi asked.

 

Farlan took of his hat and threw it onto a nearby chair, a habit that Levi thought he had long since cured him of but as his friend was clearly distressed he let it slide this once. 

 

“We’ve lost the theatre.”  

 

“How?”

 

“The old miser figured out what we were really up to and wanted to up the price to three hundred rubbles.”

 

Levi made no response except to raise his eyebrows.

 

“I tried to talk him round of course.  Used my charm and all but the old bastard was having none of it, he saw a chance to make extra money and he wasn’t going to give it up.”

 

“Can hardly blame him,” said Levi coolly. “The new republic is in a shambles, scrambling for power, each new leader more incompetent than the last. The people are always the ones who suffer.”

 

Farlan nodded, there wasn’t a whole lot more to say.  He knew as well as Levi that the things had gotten worse for the Russian people not better since the Revolution ten years ago, a revolution that had cost them both dearly.  He took of the heavy grey coat he wore and hung it on its designated peg, along with his scarf and gloves, and belatedly bent and picked up his hat and hung that up also.  He moved to the small kitchenette area and filled a kettle with water and set it to boil for tea.

 

“So, what do we do now?” He asked.

 

“We find a new way to find Anastasia.”

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all,
> 
> I know I said every Friday but I'm away for the weekend so I thought I would upload a day early.
> 
> If I'm truthfully honest I'm not happy with this chapter, I've re-written it so many times and I'm still not satisfied so I'm just going to put it out there. I think its just because its a bit of bridge before the real actions starts, but it cant be left out.
> 
> Anyway I hope you'll all forgive me if I promise a better chapter next week :)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all, thank you so much for reading. This is an ongoing fic, I'm a few chapters ahead in my writing so I'm planning to post a new chapter every Friday as far as possible.
> 
> Just as an FYI this is based on the Anastasia 1997 film not the actual story of Anastasia, and how she died which is far more complicated. I've decided not to go down the Rasputin villain route as that didn't really fit the tone of the story with these characters. Also this is based on the film but is not an exact replica of it (because lets face it that would be boring and predictable). Hopefully you will enjoy the twists on the story that I have worked into this fic.
> 
> Please let me know if you liked it in the comment section :)


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